Union Power plans new 100,000 volt line

Union Power Cooperative, which provides electric utilities to much of Union County, wants public input about constructing a new high-voltage line between Weddington and Marvin.

The area’s demand for electricity has increased 30 percent since 2004, according to a Union Power release. While the company built new substations in response to the demand, all used a single 100,000 volt transmission line to power the area.

The greater the power demand, the greater risk the high-voltage line will become overloaded. That can lead to electrical shortages or outages. If the transmission line overloads, it could cut power to five substations, leaving about 17,000 customers without electricity.

To make sure that does not happen, Union Power officials will begin planning for a new high-voltage line to be built between Weddington and Marvin.

But before any lines are run, the company needs to perform a siting study to decide the best possible route for the line. So the company will hold a workshop May 7 to

The meeting is just for input. Union Power has no firm timeline of when work would begin, Vice President of Communications and Key Accounts Luanne Sherron said.

“We’re just performing a survey to gather information about running a line through the area,” Sherron said.

Among the information the company needs is the location of any special areas within the study.

“They’re just trying to make sure there’s nothing in the area that they need to be aware of, like historical sites, burial sites or other places that should be preserved,” Sherron said.

Besides the workshop, Union Power will send residents surveys about electrical service and asking them to prioritize things like environmental issues, aesthetics and land use.

“Property owners and residents of the area should be receiving invitation packets next week with surveys that will give us a little more information for our line siting study,” Sherron said.

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